State needs to loosen metrics before older students can return, says Beaverton Schools Allison Mechanic, KATU Staff Replay Video UP NEXT In just one week, schools in the Portland-metro area could have the information they need to announce their reopening plans. Beaverton schools say they're waiting for a Jan. 19 Oregon Department of Education meeting before finalizing their return-to-the-classroom plans, but right now, that plan doesn't include sending middle school or high schoolers back. According to the district's website, it's impossible for students in these grades to return unless the advisory metrics from the Oregon Department of Education are loosened. "One of the things we are looking for from ODE is whether or not they’re going to loosen the level of restrictions on the number of people that a single student can come in contact with in a single week. Right now, that number is 100 people per week. That makes it nearly impossible for a larger district like Beaverton to bring back middle and high school students," said Shellie Bailey-Shah, public communications officer for Beaverton Public Schools. "These students have multiple classes per day, so if you have 20 to 30 kids in a classroom, you start adding that up, you get to that 100 number really quickly. That’s before adding in the number of kids on the bus. That is the real roadblock for larger districts bringing back secondary students."